Depressed about eye floaters--any positive stories?

[ellak]

I got eye floaters 6 months ago and now see them everywhere in bright sunlight, against white sky and in artificial white light.

I see black dots (like mosquitos) and squiggly translucent worm-like lines. I find it really hard to not see them and they are really making me anxious and depressed. My husband and I travel a lot for work and I really just want to get on with it and enjoy life again. I feel like they are a major obstacle.

I heard from a few people that you stop seeing them after a while--does this really happen? I can't imagine it ever happening as I see them everywhere.

I hope you find my experience helpful rather than too lighthearted. I am really short sighted and first noticed a floater when I was five, I thought it was magic and played games trying to focus it on things, but told my mum who panicked and took me to the doctor, who then explained floaters to me.
I have quite a lot now, I barely notice them, when I do (sunbathing etc) I quite enjoy chasing them around in a weird way. Sometimes if I have a hangover I do feel I see more and then have a minor panic about retinal detachment. But I really have got used to them, obviously over a long period of time. I hope you do too.

Singme, what do yours look like? I can't imagine ever playing with mine...

In my left eye I have one massive cobweb like translucent worm thing with black dots at either side. I feel so utterly depressed when it appears in my vision. I feel like I would have been less anxious as a child, but now I just find it hard to imagine ever enjoying my life again.

I have left eye pain, either from straining to see past the floaters or from the floaters themselves, not sure.

My husband and I are meant to travel this year but I just had a bit of a breakdown this morning, pulled the blinds down in our hotel room and literally sobbed for about an hour. I really can't imagine living through this ;(

It won't ruin your trip, because you'll decide they shan't...

They aren't fun, admittedly, and it is annoying to see them, but there are only two options; letting them ruin your day, or deciding that sure they're there - now what can I do still that makes my day better and more enjoyable?

One problem could be that since you use dark sunglasses, pull blinds down, etc. you don't get used to them, let your brain get used to them. Maybe sit for twenty minutes each day just staring at the bright sky while listening to some calm/soothing music? "There they are, there's the squiggly one and there the one with the dark spots, ..." - a bit like looking at star constellations at night.

If you have abnormal pain in one eye you should see a doctor. The floaters themselves doesn't hurt from what I've read.

Have you googled some of the supplements that can be helpful. Also this article seems to indicate that it might be a type of ophthalmic migraine...so maybe your migraine medicine might help? My ds gets migraines of all sorts and once got an ophthalmic migraine that made him blind for 3 days. It finally cleared up when he took his migraine medicine.

I had a 90% retinal detachment in one eye and have some residual spots on that retina which I really only notice on bright days. The other eye has a huge floater which drifts across my vision. You just need to learn to live with them - they are not painful or unsightly. It’s far far worse being old and needing reading glasses!

Halsall, Candyfloss, Freshprincess, I'm glad most people eventually get used to them, gives me some hope--from time to time I come across someone online who says they have had them for 5-10 years and still notice them

I've had mine for 15 years plus and I'm used to them, but I can still notice them, so those things aren't mutually exclusive. Usually I don't see them or pay attention to them but it's not like they have disappeared. They don't bother me anymore though.

I didn't know everyone didn't have these until I read this thread just now. I got mine as teenager and I thought it was part of puberty. Huh.

Ellak- mine are like translucent worms and a few random spots. Mostly in my right eye. They are quite mobile and "floaty" as per the name. Hard to comment on size.

They shouldn't be sore though, I agree it may be eye strain from being so aware of them but do get checked out if you haven't already.

Mine are like little spiders - a black dot in the middle and tiny squiggles coming off them. I also have a long translucent worm type thing in my left eye that swings from side to side.

I agree with the post saying you learn to live with them, they don’t go away but whereas they used to make me so depressed I literally felt that I had been robbed of good vision I can now live with them and learn to just ignore them as much as I can.

There are lots of Facebook support groups for floaters. In the USA they do a lot of vitrectomies for floaters which they do not do here for the risk factors of retinal detachment etc. At my lowest I comforted myself by saying I would give myself a few years and if I still felt the same I would go to the USA for treatment, I was feeling that low about it that I was willing to risk retinal detachment just to hope to have clear vision again! (Its still a low risk). Amazingly I just learnt to accept them and apart from the odd time I’m exhausted and they seem worse I can cope.

Hevonbu, I saw an ophthamologist who said everything looks healthy. She could see the floaters but said they are harmless. Same story when I saw an optometrist last week. Do you think it's still worth seeing a general GP? I've had thyroid tested, been tested for diabetes etc all seems fine. I do continue to have the left eye pain--feels like pressure above and beneath eye, and on the side of my nose.

That's a good idea about trying to look at bright sky every day. I do go out without sunglasses on most days, but it's making me really depressed. Doesn't help that I have a bit of trypophobia and in bright light I can see the seed-like quality of the proteins that make up floatersit makes me feel really sick knowing that that is in my eye and that I might see it for the rest of my life. Also scares me when I look up or to the sideI have two prominent dots, one on each side of my left eye, joined by an entangled mesh of cobweb-like translucent worms. How do I stop caring about this and allowing it to ruin my enjoyment of things?

Fairylea, sounds ridiculous perhaps to someone who is now used to them, but right now I feel I would rather be blind than have this problem. It's early days I guess, but I would really like a vitrectomy. I can't understand how I can learn to live with them and see them but not see them?

One of the worst things about this is the timing. I got married this year, I already had chronic pain from endometriosis and adenomyosis, but the floaters and light sensitivity came soon after. I'm starting to feel like a burden to my now husband. He is loving and caring but I'm sure anyone can grow tired of someone who has all these issues and can't live a normal life.

We can't yet live in the same country as I don't earn enough to sponsor his spouse visa to come to the UK. That's why we're travelling and working this year. Such a difficult position as this is a period in my life where for once, I'd rather be settled and secure.

Because of the eye pain and increased awareness of the floaters in the wide open spaces/white light lit areas in Korea, I wake up many mornings from nightmares about having floaters. I turn on the light and feel sick when I see black dots all over my vision, floating in and out. Just wish I was normal ;( I feel really trapped in my body and don't know how to deal with this. Feel like I'm in a nightmare. Sorry for rant but feeling really very down and helpless.

Should add that I'm starting to feel like "what's the point of living anymore?" I know there are many people who have it much worse than I do, but then maybe I'm not a very strong person/I'm too sensitive...

I travel a lot, I used to enjoy hiking and taking photos. I have always been fiercely independent. I liked taking long walks alone in the city. It feels like this is all being stripped away from me. Now it is all too much to bear and I feel like crying a lot as there is so much debris preventing me from seeing the beauty in the world/causing me bad eye pain.

Look if it's getting that bad you need to see your GP for depression.

The left eye pain could be a cluster headache. That's what my husband gets. The only thing (literally) that helps is Sumatriptane which is prescribed. You take one at the onset. They have changed his life.

I got a sudden splatter of floaters walking down the street about 6 months ago. I could barely see through the cobweb. Got it checked out and my eyes were healthy.

I have to say I barely notice them now. At the time I was traumatised and quite gloomy. I can notice them if I try but Ive half forgotten about them now tbh.

Ellak, so sorry to hear the impact this is having on your life. I have had mine for over 25 years, 5 years ago I had a retinal detachment and asked the surgeon if he could remove the floaters when he fixed the detachment. He told me that although I did seem to have a large amount of floaters, they were the least of my problems at that time !
So I live with them, they are awful in bright sunlight and when looking at anything with a white background however, since I started drinking more water I really feel they have decreased. I used to suffer from dry eyes too and that has largly resolved due to upping my fluid intake. I have never had any eye pain with my floaters, I wonder if you have high pressure in your eyes as an opthalmology nurse once told me that people who have occular hypertension can sometimes feel a pressure and discomfort in their eye. Please don't let this issue get in the way of your life, I was so grateful when the surgeons saved my sight after a second detachment that I decided to accept what I couldn't change and make the most of what I have. I really hope you can find a way through how you are feeling now.

I can't understand how I can learn to live with them and see them but not see them?

The best way I can explain it is that it's like feeling your clothes on your body during the day. Clothes are rubbing against your skin but you don't notice them. But it's not like you "don't notice them" to the point where you couldn't tell if you were wearing pants or not. They are there, and you can tell, but they don't bother you or take any of your attention.

I do sympathise btw because I also found them extremely upsetting at first. But don't say you would rather be blind! You wouldn't.

I've had them for about 15 years. It took a long time but I definitely notice them less than I used to.

The eye pain is something different from the floaters, I would go back and see about that.

Do they obscure your vision so much you can't see? Mine appear at the top of my eye and then float down so I can't see them.

You are noticing them because you are focussing on them and thinking about them all the time. When you had something else to concentrate on, much more serious health issues, you forgot about them. That's the point that I'm at, the past couple of days after posting on this thread I've noticed them more. Whereas, normally they don't even register. I love outdoors stuff, walking, hiking, running, cycling, going to the beach. I can't think of a single thing that I wouldn't do because of the floaters.

THe clothes analogy ^^ is a good one.

I don't like them but they won't go away so I chose to accept they're there. There's simply no other way. Getting used to them took over a year.

You're all right--I do need to get treated for anxiety/depression. So upsetting as I have had so many health issues this year and at the same time it's also been one of my happiest years as I got married to my best friend, had some validation in my path.

It's great to hear that all of you have learnt to live with them. I checked out a support group on Facebook and it was full of people who had had them for 20 years + and still feel depressed about them--not reassuring in the slightest!

I think what makes it worse for me is that I do have the eye pain in addition to loads of floaters, and also light sensitivity from time to time--right now experiencing this. Nothing wrong with my eyes apparently so will have to wait and see. Any more recommendations for how to deal with this would be much appreciated.

I tried doing that thing this morning, looking out at the bright sky and listening to calming music. Seeing after images everywhere now and feel a bit nauseous. I think it feels worse when walking as I feel like I'm in a snow globe.

I have loafs of floaters (a little spider, tracks and blobs) Most of the time i dont nitice them.
I have had high occular pressure for over 20 years and have hospital appointments twice a year and not one of the opthamologists ive seen have been worried about them

Hi bruffin, when did yours appear and did they ever bother you?

I think i got first one (the spider) about 15 years ago. I dont notice them unless in bright lights, but im not bothered by them at all.

Thanks bruffin, but did they bother you initially? Looking for more and more stories to fuel my optimism into believing that I can eventually get over this.

First i could see my little spider a lot ,.im actually quite fond of it. I think at the time i knew what it was as a friend had them. As i said i am seen regularly in hospital and they werent worried.

I've had a couple for about 10 years- I don't really notice them anymore. The only time I do is when I'm trying to catch a fly and the floater can distract me! I have been more disciplined about wearing sunglasses when I'm out but apart from that I don't do much about them. They don't cause me any pain however.
Eye doctor said to come back to Eye A&E if I suddenly got loads or flashing lights.

Bruffin, I would hate if I had a money spider as I'm scared of spiders! And though I don't have a phobia, I'm nervous about holes too--mild trypophobia; I think this makes it worse as in well-lit conditions I can see the seed-like protein cells that make up the floaters.

Feel like I'm anxious about everything I can see right now!

Melfish, do you have translucent worms and the mosquitos? The former annoy me the most I think as they cover my entire vision!

Freshprincess thanks for your comment, that's definitely reassuring. I hope your more serious condition has got better since. I did notice when I went in for surgery 3 months ago that I noticed them a bit less, likely because of all the drugs I was on/pain.